Various computing devices may be used to control a home electronic device such as a television, personal computer, tablet computer, stereo, or other computing device capable of outputting audio and/or video content. Remote controls typically communicate directly with the device being controlled. For example, a user may actuate buttons on the remote control, which causes the remote control to transmit a signal directly to the device being controlled. The device interprets the received signal and performs a corresponding action (e.g., altering the content being played on the device). For instance, a user may use a remote control to change the channel of a television.
In one conventional solution, a user may control the playback of video on a television via a web application displayed on the television using a keyboard and mouse. In another conventional solution, the user may pair a device that acts as a remote control directly with the device outputting the audio and video (e.g., a television or stereo), such that the device outputting the audio and video acts as a server to the remote control by, for example, communicating directly with the remote control and accepting incoming connections from the remote control.